Business development group

Group mission

"Support member companies to identify and develop new business opportunities."

Message from the chair

The MAA Business Development Group has met four times per year since 2004 -- that’s more than 60 meetings and more than 2,500 person hours! We’re here to guide the MAA team and advise the MAA Board on how the MAA can best support our member organisations on all things related to business development and marketing. I’ve been in the chair since 2016, having replaced David Danger when he stepped up to be MAA Chairman. I firmly believe, as I know does our Chief Executive Andrew Mair, that group discussions and ideas over the years have played a vital role in ensuring the MAA delivers what our members want, in the excellent detailed execution of our events, and in the MAA’s often bold and innovative initiatives.

Click here to see just a few examples of what the Business Development Group leads on. That all this is delivered on a frequent and consistent basis with only 2 full-time equivalent staff in the MAA office working on business development is due in no small measure to us in industry being fully committed to contributing our time, our ideas and our experience to guide and maximise the impact of the MAA’s professional staff.

The group has its own portfolio of activities to lead on. Beyond this, on big MAA events like the annual conference and dinner, the group makes proposals to, and advises, the MAA board. While every MAA event has always had time for networking built in, more recently the Business Development Group has been looking at how we can actively help members network at all MAA events. I'm proud that the group initiated the first Midlands Aerospace Exellence Awards in 2018 to publicly recognise the excellence of many of our companies.

The MAA embodies the best of “working together” to achieve what we can’t do by ourselves, and I’m delighted to contribute what I can to that. As Head of Group Procurement at Rolls-Royce and MAA Director, I have also been able to call on the active support of my company, when it comes to events like Aero Engine Forum Birmingham 2017, the MAA annual conference, or one of our in-depth "Inside . . . with the MAA" events: “Inside Rolls-Royce Indirect Purchasing with the MAA.”

Finally, I am a firm believer that better communication can help us identify more opportunities and solve pressing problems together. We could not do that without the members of the group, below. To them, and to the many past members of the group, a warm thank you!

Wendy Stopher, chair

Current group members

Ashley Beeden, Managing Director, Croft Engineering

Mike Beirns, Managing Director, Kinetic Engineering

Emma Burgess, Marketing Manager, Midlands Aerospace Alliance

Alan Dunbar, Group Business Development Director, Bromford Industries

David Fisken, Head of Business Attraction, West Midlands Growth Company

About the MAA

The Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) was set up in 2003 and now has 300 members. The MAA board includes senior managers from Meggitt, Moog Aircraft Group, Rolls-Royce and UTC Aerospace Systems as well as elected supply chain representatives and key regional partner bodies. The Chairman, elected in 2017, is David Danger, Managing Director, Materials and Non-Destructive Testing, Intertek and the Vice Chairman is Peter Smith, Chief Executive and Chairman of Nasmyth Group Ltd.

Members directory

The MAA member capability directory will help you identify world-class Midlands partners and suppliers for your aerospace programmes and projects -- available for on-line search and as a downloadable document published each summer.

Become a member

As a member of the MAA you will be joining a unique organisation that supports companies in the Midlands to develop new aerospace technologies, improve their competitive performance and win new business. Companies outside the Midlands are welcome to join the MAA as associate members.